Album Packaging

Album covers and their packaging set the course for all the art and marketing that follow throughout the life of an album cycle. Whether it’s 12 full inches or 1425 pixels, fans need to see an album cover and feel something that extends beyond the artist’s face into the meaning and intention of the recording itself.

It’s always a collaborative process with amazing creatives and a fight to keep the perfect balance between art and commerce for that artist at that moment in time. Pretty much everything I love about my work all in one place.

Everywhere was the birth of the McGraw brand. The record label always demanded that we put a face on the cover, so Glenn and I schemed that we wanted the cover to be the most face you could see, but done in the coolest way. At the photoshoot, Tim looked down at a polaroid and said, “that’s the cover."

I think anyone who had anything to do with Live Like You Were Dying, on any level, knows what it’s like to be a vessel for something larger than yourself. A song that special doesn’t come around every day. Glenn and I put our hearts into this package — from the silver metallic ink to my hand-doodled “45" in honor of Tug McGraw.

From designing the Born In Georgia cover for my mom to staging a BBQ stain out in the park with Glen Rose, to helping shape the creative around two children as they grew into themselves as artists.....these are some of my favorites through the years.

Merchandising

When you’re working with a music artist, everything has to have an edge of cool and represent the style of the brand. Unfortunately, the souvenir marketplace can be as uncool as buying items at a circus. Solving this creative puzzle has made me happy since 1993.

Tim McGraw Fan Club Exclusive 2015

Tim McGraw Shotgun Rider Tour Fan Shirt | Designer: Doug Hicks

We wanted to communicate the fun of summer in the dead of winter with this shirt, sold exclusively to members of MCGRAWF.A.N. The line of t-shirt, koozie and bumpersticker were used as incentives to fan-only ticket purchases.

Despite the fact that no one I know will wear one, the ‘face’ shirt is the top selling shirt of every act in every genre of music. Merchandise created by Crom Tidwell.

McGraw/Hill Soul2Soul 2000 Tour Kid's Tee

Tim McGraw Faith HIll s2s Tour 2000 | Art Director: David Seltzer

At the time, everyone's solution to a kid's tee was a hand-drawn kid font or shrinking adult art to fit a kid-size garment. I wanted something fun that a child might react to at the merch stand or that my girlfriends would want to wear in a kids size L. We nailed both!

Tim McGraw & Faith Hill Soul2Soul: Venetian Hotel Retail Store

In 2012, the Venetian Hotel offered a special area within their retail store as a pop-up store to fans attending the McGraw/Hill Soul2Soul Venetian shows in Las Vegas. Working with LonDell Wright and his team, we designed a space that would feel as fashion forward as the clients. Items included the tour basics along with a jewelry line by Diana Warner, a pashmina, framed autographed lithos and work out clothes. Merchandise by Bravado, Crom Tidwell and Red Star Merchandise.

Photoshoots

It’s always incredibly fun for to help build the bridge between a music artist’s vision and a photographer’s style and skill. Often the album or publicity story will dictate the setting, but I always have a stack of ideas and images to inspire for the next photoshoot, just in case. I love bringing my idea for a setup life!

This shoot was for the packaging and support of their album, Barely Famous Hits. The Warrens are solid family men, legitimate hit song writers and incredible musicians. But they approach life with a sense of humor and not a small amount of irreverence for the system. Our goal was to capture all of these nuances - and Kristin, as always, did a fantastic job.

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill

Tim McGraw & Faith Hill | Photographer: Danny Clinch | Published 2007

It's hard to find the balance of sweet-lovey-dovey and sassy-badass-rock-and-roll when you're shooting a couple. Even an outstandingly hot couple like Tim and Faith. Danny always brings the badass and since 2000, I keep an ongoing file of ideas and tear-sheets of ways to pair these two and settings to put them in. This set up was used in tour marketing and merchandise.

Tim McGraw 2013

Tim McGraw | Photography: Nino Muñoz | Published 2013

Shot in support of the Sundown Heaven Town project, this image was the first image we used to tease radio for the unreleased music.

McGraw Sundown Heaven Town Tour 2014

2014 Sundown Heaven Town Tour | Photographer: Thien Phan

We err to the side of capturing everything. Across the 40 tour dates, I'll give direction on the overall balance of the types of shots we are getting back from the road and edit the nightly returns to find the most iconic onstage and behind the scenes shots for use in all mediums.

Content Production

From ideation to producing to guiding third parties in the right direction, I make sure our online content tells the right story with the sexiest visual possible.

Shotgun Rider Tour 2015 Cities | Tim McGraw

Tim McGraw Trick Shots | Dude Perfect

Tim McGraw Four Wheels to Freedom Custom Car Reveal

Diamond Rings and Old Bar Stools | Inside The Song | Tim McGraw

Music Videos + Television

My role is different on every video project depending on what’s needed. Sometimes the process between director and artist is necessarily very tight and my goal shifts to big picture branding and managing the budget.

Other times, I am deeply involved in the treatment and in overseeing each production detail from extras to location.

Brand Partnerships

Sponsorships, endorsements and media partnerships offer great opportunities to work with outside producers, directors and agencies. Ultimately, it’s a great test of creative problem solving to find the most interesting visual and thematic cross sections of the two brands.

Used in social media campaigns to target specific markets with a 'save the date' message and art that fans could call their own.

Tim McGraw Sundown Heaven Town VIP Experience 2014

The tour aesthetic has to flow into all places -- even if it's just a tent! With the help of Doug Hicks, we created VIP EVENT art that would feel exclusive but still represent the Sundown Heaven Town themes. We worked with CID Entertainment to bring a stage set that could be moved easily but still look clean and modern.

"Better Than I Used To Be" from SDHT Tour 2015

Video screens and the content that inhabits them takes up a lot of stage space in most shows. Each tour is different in the approach -- what kind of content and how it paces through the show. This was an edit I oversaw for content that played during a very personal song, Better Than I Used To Be on tour.

Logo Development

With the exception of our two hotel logos for Hotel Boca Brava and Santa Catalina Surfside Inn, which I did myself, most of the logo development that I’ve done has been with designer Glenn Sweitzer. We each have our own style but share a love for a clean graphic that works well in all sizes and formats.

Sketches + Textures

Popparay

My grandfather was an accomplished jazz guitar player, physicist and inventor. This incredible texture is his guitar case.